The Path of the Rose
by Kerrigor The Demon
Summary: Amy Rose was only hoping to buy a house in Soleanna and live a normal life away from Eggman and his minions, but of course, she is embroiled in a series of events far larger than she would ever have expected. Novel of Sonic 06. AmyRosePOV. SoxE AxSi
1. The Festival of the Sun

As my first attempt at fanfiction, I'm going to need a LOT of help from my reviewers. (If I get any) This is the first chapter of _The Path of Rose_, Amy's storyline during the game "Sonic next gen."

I love Amy Rose. She is my all-time favorite character from Sonic, so I wanted to bring her to the spotlight. Obviously, some points in the story are going to be AU. For example, Amy may join Silver or some of the other characters during their quests. If there is anything I am missing or if there are any unintentional plot holes, please tell me. For example, I've only played two Sonic games, so I don't know much of Amy's history. I've had to go to the Sonic wiki and study her page. I may have discontinuities during my first run through. Don't forget to review and tell me these things. I also tend to explain things as if I'm telling the story to someone who has never played Sonic.

Some of you out there don't like to review. I understand that. But to a new author, going on the story traffic page and seeing that 70 people have read but not reviewed, that is very depressing. At least leave a short review saying whether it's good, bad, or needs work. And one more thing. If I get a single flame from a person screaming about bestiality, not only will I completely go insane, I will rant and rave about the immaturity of the reviewer and laugh at it publicly. You have been warned. It is a race, gosh darn it! Anyway, now to the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic series, nor the character Amy. (Although I'd like to…)

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The plains of Soleanna. It was considered to be one of the most beautiful and serene locations in the surrounding countryside. The skies were continuously blue, with clouds scattered randomly across the cerulean sky. Rain came once a week, nourishing the endless grass and providing the animals that lived there with water. There was also an urban legend saying that the rains that fell on that area contained a rare mineral, which was the cause for the vibrant green color that only this grass possessed.

It was simply because of this natural beauty that Amy Rose chose this area to be the site of her temporary home. Her friends Big the Cat and Cream the Rabbit had left her, claiming that they had important errands to attend to. Three weeks after their departure, Amy moved out of her home, intending to purchase a house in Soleanna, the City of the Water. She had heard about this city's majesty all through her life, and had always intended on visiting there. However, Amy had always put it off, choosing instead to spend time with her friends or chasing after Sonic the Hedgehog, her true love.

Amy had her chance when her friends left. In no hurry, she set off for Soleanna. She made good time, crossing marshes and deserts in a phenomenal time, rivaling the speed of her love, Sonic, who was the fastest creature in the world. However, when she reached the plains, she made herself stop.

Amy was awestruck at the beauty of the region. Therefore, she simply had to stop there for a few weeks. Amy built a small, primitive hut on a flat area of the plains with a nice view of the surrounding hills. She loved the site and constantly spent time lying down on the soft grass, staring up at the sapphire sky.

It was during one such time, when she was cloudgazing, that she was thrown into a series of events far beyond anything she ever could have imagined.

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Amy sighed, content. These were truly wonderful times, where one could walk outside freely and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. She was lying on a hill, staring up at the skies.

Amy told herself once again that she needed to continue on to Soleanna, but once again, she told herself that she could afford to spend another week or so here in this beautiful region. A voice in the back of her mind told her that she was never going to leave this place if she continued to think this way, but she ignored it, focusing instead on the skies. She was so intent on the sky that she never noticed the figure approaching her until he was right next to her.

"Hello, traveler," the young man called amicably, startling Amy somewhat. She rose to her feet, brushing a stray blade of grass from her spikes. She smiled brightly, showing off her pure white, well kept teeth.

"Oh! I love meeting new people! Isn't this a wonderful place to meet?" Amy responded enthusiastically. The young man chuckled at her manner. By looking at him, Amy decided that he was in his early twenties. He had short, untidy blonde hair and radiant green eyes. Just like herself, Amy noticed with pride. He was dressed in standard travel clothes, and there was a hiking stick in his hand.

"You got it. I love traversing the plains. My name is Frederick," he replied, proffering his hand.

"I'm Amy Rose!" Amy told him, shaking his hand.

"We don't see much of your race around here. What brings you all the way to the plains, Amy?" Frederick asked, trying to start a conversation. Amy noticed this and took the bait gladly.

"I'm heading to Soleanna!" she answered, jumping up and down in glee. Frederick smiled at her antics.

"Are you going to see the Festival of the Sun?" he inquired. Amy looked confused. She had never heard of this festival. Maybe it was worth checking it out.

"Not initially, no. What is it?" Amy queried, her cute face lit up in anticipation. Frederick looked surprised.

"You don't know? It's a ceremony where the city honors the god Solaris, and then there are many festivities, games, and food. Everyone from all over the land is coming to see it!" he informed her. _Everyone,_ Amy thought. _Maybe Sonic will be there!_

"Are people of my race going to be there?" Amy pressed, determined to know as much as she could of this event.

"It's quite likely," Frederick responded. In that instant, Amy decided. She was going to attend the Festival of the Sun.

"Okay! I'm going then! Do you want to come along?" Amy offered, relishing the chance to get to know Frederick.

"Sure. We're both going the same way," Frederick answered, shrugging. He hefted his staff and prepared to set off again. Unfortunately for him, Amy was faster. She grabbed him by the hand and started to run in the general direction of Soleanna. Frederick was caught off guard and fought to keep his balance.

"Wonderful! Let's go, Freddy!" Amy squealed girlishly.

"H-hey! Wait a second! _Freddy?!_" Frederick cried incredulously.

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Poor Frederick never got any time to rest until the gate of Soleanna was in sight. Amy had kept him running for the rest of that day, night, and into noon of the next day, until his legs felt like they were on fire.

"Y…you…HOW DO YOU RUN SO FAST!?" Frederick practically screamed as Amy let go of his hand. He collapsed to the ground, panting hard. Amy however, was giggling fit to burst upon seeing Frederick's face.

"You look so funny, Freddy!" she laughed, pointing at him. His already red face turned an even darker shade.

"I told you not to call me Freddy…" Frederick muttered, but he smiled despite himself. Remembering his purpose, he looked at Soleanna's gate. He was, as always, taken aback by the majesty of Soleanna's main gate.

The gate was set in an exquisite arch made of hard granite and covered with a coat of shining white marble. The gate itself was made of a greenish gray stone covered with intricate designs that seemed to change whenever you looked at it. However, its majesty was held in its crest. A large, precious emerald was embedded in the center of the door. Engraved upon it was the crest of Solaris, the Soleanna Eagle.

"Oh! How beautiful!" Amy cooed, referring to the emerald. "I want to touch it!"

Frederick laughed as she ran up to the door and began to jump frantically at it, too stubborn to realize that she was way too short. The two soldiers guarding the gate stared in disbelief for a second, and then broke out into grins at the odd spectacle. They caught sight of Frederick and walked towards him.

"Do you know her, sir?" one of them asked in between laughs.

"Yeah. She's my friend," Frederick answered, staring.

"Friend? She's crazy!" said the other. Frederick shook his head, a smile creeping across his face.

"No. She's Amy," he said, and then he ran forward to Amy. She was still in the same position as she was when she first saw the emerald.

"It seems to be just a little bit higher than I can reach," Amy muttered. She was about to jump again when she was swept up from behind.

"Hey what?!" she exclaimed. Frederick lifted the small, pink hedgehog above his head and placed her on his shoulders.

"Do you want to touch that gem? Reach for it!" He shouted.

The two soldiers looked at each other, then at the scene before them. A grown man was carrying a pink hedgehog above his head. Both were laughing and giggling as the pink one reached for the gem.

"Those two have problems," said one of the soldiers.

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Frederick and Amy, upon entering the city, sought to kill time until the evening, when the Festival of the Sun would commence. This was in about three hours. Therefore, the two decided to spend some time at one of Soleanna's local restaurants. They bought some drinks and began a conversation.

"So, where did you come from, Freddy?" Amy asked, curious about her new friend's background.

"I came all the way from Wave Ocean, where I live," Frederick replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"Wave Ocean…" Amy mused. "What's that like?" Frederick's eyes grew dreamy as he remembered the land of his birth.

"It was a land of immense beauty, with the sun always shining down upon the soft sands, making them shine like gold. I would always sit down by the shore and watch the tide roll in and out, dipping my feet in the sapphire waves," Frederick related. Amy's eyes grew wide as she listened.

"That sounds nice. I want to see it now!" She exclaimed. Frederick smiled at her.

"I'll take you someday," he told her. Amy squealed in delight as she heard this.

"But why did you leave if it was so nice? Was it for the festival?" Amy inquired. Frederick nodded.

"That was part of it. The other part was when the mechs began to show up," he began.

"Mechs?! What did they look like?" Amy interrupted. Then she quailed as Frederick stared. "Sorry, go on."

"Anyway, mechs began to gather in the region. They all looked the same, and they bristled with heavy weaponry. When an airship showed up, that was when I decided to hightail it out of there," he finished.

"Airship…mechs…That sounds a lot like Eggman's work!" Amy exclaimed. Frederick gave her a blank look. "Eggman is an evil scientist who likes to use mechs to carry out his plans!"

"Well, even if this Eggman was behind it, it matters not. I'm here, and ready to celebrate!" Frederick said dismissively.

The two finished their drinks, paid for them, and left the restaurant. All around them they could see workers finishing up the preparations for the festival. Shopping booths and concession stands were set up and ready for customers, and rows of firework launchers lined the edges of the water. The crowd was already assembling, although there was an hour and a half left until it began.

"Let's join the crowd!" Amy told him, and then grabbed his hand, pulling him into the crowd.

"I hate crowds!" Frederick lamented pathetically. This was going to be a long night.

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Fireworks exploded above the head of the crowd, showering them with sparks of blue and green, to their great delight. Frederick and Amy were at the very front of the crowd, thanks to Frederick's urging. He couldn't stand crowds, so he forced his way to the front.

The fireworks inspired peace in the hearts of all as the light reflected off the rippling water. A mighty ship, rowed by many volunteers, cut its way through the water like a knife. The crowd followed it along the sides of the water, the cheers and sounds of merrymaking heard even from outside the city. A girl, about 17 years old by her looks, stood on the helm, smiling and waving to the crowd. She was dressed in a long, white dress with red stripes crisscrossing on her chest. Her hair was short and red, not even reaching her shoulders. Amy saw this girl and gasped.

"Hey, is that the princess?!" she cried, tugging on Frederick's pant leg.

"Yes, that is Elise, the princess of Soleanna," he answered her, watching the ship. The ship's destination was the Altar of Flame, where every year the princess would go and light the Altar with the flame of Solaris, ensuring them peace and prosperity.

Once the ship reached the Altar, Elise dismounted and walked up the steps to the Altar, where the Bishop and his guards waited. Then, one of the Bishop's guards handed her a torch, whose flame burned a bright white instead of red. To Amy, she seemed to hesitate a moment, her eyes staring into the flame. It wasn't until one of her handmaidens touched her arm lightly that Elise continued. She bowed to the Bishop and then turned to face the Altar.

"We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light!" Elise announced. With that, she lowered the torch and lit the bottom of the Altar. The flames ignited quickly and shot up the sides of the Altar until it reached the top of the Altar, where it ignited into a huge, roaring white bonfire.

Amy and Frederick began to cheer, and the rest of the crowd followed suit. The fireworks began anew, their sound carrying for miles. But no one expected what happened next.

To Amy's horror, missiles streaked out of nowhere, impacting with the water, the Altar, and the ground surrounding it. The crowd began to run in all directions, forsaking the Festival in order to run for safety. Many were laid low or killed by the blasts. Luckily for Elise, however, she was unharmed.

With a start, Amy looked up and saw a mighty airship flying overhead. It was one that she knew well. It was the Egg Carrier, Eggman's battleship.

"That's it! That's the airship I saw!" Frederick cried, running for cover beneath a nearby balcony.

A hatch opened in the bottom of the Egg Carrier and mechs came falling from it. In no time, they surrounded Elise from all directions, quashing any hope of escape.

"Come on! We got to help her!" Amy yelled, grabbing Frederick and yanking out from under his cover.

"What can we do against them?!" Frederick shouted, having no choice but to follow. "Hang on, look at that!"

Down from the airship came a small, flying vehicle carrying the man himself: Doctor Eggman.

"A pleasure to meet you at last, Princess of Soleanna! I am Dr. Eggman!" The doctor proclaimed. "I have come here to obtain the secret of the Flames of Disaster from you, and to take the miracle gems that are the key to its secret: the Chaos Emerald!" Amy then saw Elise clutch a small, blue gem to her breast.

"I know what Chaos emeralds are, but what are the Flames of Disaster?" Amy cried as they ran. The crowd continuously got in their way as they scattered, slowing the two down and preventing them from reaching Elise in time.

"Now, Princess, this way please," Dr. Eggman demanded, beckoning to his vehicle. Elise shook her head furiously and began to back away. Annoyed, Dr. Eggman brought his vehicle closer.

Suddenly, a blue, translucent tornado surrounded the platform, preventing Dr. Eggman from approaching any closer. Elise and the mechs surrounding her looked around them, wondering what was causing the phenomenon.

Then, as soon as it had appeared, it dissipated. The source of the tornado was then seen boldly standing on the Altar of Flame.

"My…that's a pretty snazzy performance there!" the blue hedgehog commented. Elise gasped slightly while Eggman growled furiously.

"Sonic!" Amy cried, attempting to speed up. But there was another throng of panicking civilians standing in her way. Frederick had no idea who this Sonic was, but he ran forward all the same.

"You…it can't be!" Elise muttered. Sonic merely grinned. The mechs aimed their machine guns at the hedgehog and opened fire. But their petty bullets were no match for Sonic's speed. He leaped into the air and began to systematically wipe out the mechs, kicking them in the center at the speed of sound. When he reached the last one, he disabled it with a blast of sonic energy. Then he gave it a little tap with his foot, sending it plummeting into the water below. Then he ran up to Elise.

"I'm Sonic! Sonic the hedgehog!" he declared and then picked up Elise, much to her surprise. Dr. Eggman looked furious, and he pounded his fist on the vehicle's dashboard.

"Not that irritating hedgehog again!" he roared. "Attack!"

The many mechs around him targeted Sonic, who had taken off running, and fired missile after missile at him.

"Follow him!" Amy ordered, taking off after Sonic.

"I thought we were going to fight Eggman? Ugh, I don't know any more!" Frederick exclaimed, following Amy.

Sonic was too fast for the missiles. Grinning confidently, he expertly weaved in and out of the missiles, letting them impact harmlessly into the ground nearby. Elise screamed in panic as a missile nearly hit them.

"Split up! I'll follow him by the ground route. You take the high route!" Frederick commanded. Amy nodded and jumped up to a rooftop.

In this way, she jumped across rooftop to rooftop until she could jump no more. Then, she saw him.

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Yes, I left you with a cliffhanger. I got to the whole Silver bit, then I decided that the first chapter was getting kind of long, so I cut it off here. Like I said before, I want every reader to post it a review, no matter what length. I will be somewhat disgruntled if I check the story traffic and found out that even one person read but didn't review. Flames will be laughed at in public. You have been warned.

Ciao,

Kerrigor.


	2. Frederick goes home

Three reviews have been received, therefore I am updating. That is the rule folks! Three reviews per chapter or no update! Although the third review was kind of pathetic.

HOLY CRAP THAT'S PATHETIC! 31 VISITORS AND ONLY THREE REVIEWS?! Gah…what is this world coming to?

**Terran34**: I'm glad you agree. Bestiality doesn't exist except in the minds of the uneducated. And I love Amy's personality. That's the whole reason I wrote this story. And you were right about the gate scene. I just thought that would be cute…

**Prophet-Of-Isolation: **I'm trying to make it AU, though the only thing I can think of is that Amy joins some of the other characters when she shouldn't be there. I'm thinking that Amy is going to accompany Silver to Kingdom Valley and other things like that.

**Masonman94: **Don't worry, I'll tell you all about Amy on Feplanet day. Thanks for reviewing! (finally)

Disclaimer: Hmm, do I own Sonic or Amy? *opens bank vault to find a penny* I guess not…

Anyway, now back to the story.

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To Amy's great delight, a very familiar hedgehog stood on the roof with her, his back turned to her. Squealing in delight, she dashed forward, hugging him around the middle.

"Now I've got you, Sonic!" Amy cried, disregarding her captive's struggles.

"Hey?!" the hedgehog yelled in both surprise and anger.

"It's about time I caught you again!" Amy remarked. Then she noticed something disquieting. The hedgehog's shoes were not red, but light and dark blue. With this, she widened her eyes and faced the hedgehog. It wasn't Sonic.

Instead, she faced a silver hedgehog, with his spikes much more upright than Sonic's, and with a stern, yet determined look on his face.

"Hey! You're not Sonic!" Amy shouted, backing away and turning a bright red. Then she smacked him in embarrassment. "Um, I'm sorry!" Then she buried her face in her hands. How could she have made such a stupid mistake?

"Um, I'm…huh? Hey, where did he go?!" the silver hedgehog demanded, turning to face the city again. He looked for a second, and then shook his head. "He must have run off,"

"I'm sorry. Did you miss someone because of me?" Amy asked, awkwardly coming out from behind him. The hedgehog sighed, and then turned to her.

"Ah…it's okay. I'm sure the guy I'm looking for is still on the island. I'm sure I can still find him," he replied. With this, Amy realized that she now had an opportunity to make a new friend. With that in mind, she walked forward and grabbed the silver hedgehog's hand.

"Well, then I'll help you!" she exclaimed. However, the hedgehog did not seem as keen on the idea as she was.

"What?!" he yelled incredulously.

"Two heads are better than one when looking for someone!" Amy explained. "What's your name?"

"Hey, just wait a second…" Then he sighed. "Silver."

"That's a nice name. It suits you! I'm Amy Rose! It's nice to meet you!" Amy replied, before dragging him across the rooftop to where there was a ladder leading to the ground.

"Ah…hey, wait!" Silver protested, but to no avail.

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Along the ground route, Frederick's search was more fruitful than Amy's. Upon splitting with her, he had gone into the next street and had immediately noticed the dashing blue hedgehog.

"Um, why are you helping me?" Elise, who was still in Sonic's arms, asked.

"No special reason," Sonic replied, somewhat mysteriously. Then he jumped across a river and landed on the next part of the city. Frederick, panting hard, ran across the bridge to same part that Sonic was on. To his dismay, Sonic was already far ahead. That was one fast hedgehog!

Looking up, Frederick noticed the airship. His heart began to beat faster, knowing that it was about to unleash more mechs. His hand instinctively went to the short sword concealed on his back. His short sword was his primary weapon. Enhanced with acid and forged from the metal of a fallen star, it was a formidable threat to even Eggman's mechs.

"Sonic!" Elise screamed as the mechs quickly surrounded him. Before Sonic could do anything, Frederick had unsheathed his short sword and attacked the mechs behind him. With a swift downward slash, he clove straight through one of the mechs.

Spotting him, Sonic nodded in his direction and quickly engaged the ones in front of him. Sonic landed a kick on the chest of one and dashed straight through another. With a high powered punch, he finished the last.

Frederick ducked underneath a missile fired by one of the last two remaining mechs and sliced its owner in half lengthwise. Without thinking, he blocked machine gun bullets from the last mech with his sword. In retaliation, Frederick threw his sword like a spear, pinning the unfortunate mech to the ground. Before he could get to Sonic, he was attacked again, this time by Eggman himself.

"Get out of my way, commoner!" Eggman ordered, knocking Frederick into the wall with the claw of his vehicle. Then, he grabbed hold of Elise, who screamed in terror.

"No!" Frederick cried at the same time as Sonic. Frederick rose up and tried to chase Eggman. However, before any of them could get close to him, Eggman flew his vehicle higher than they could reach, chuckling.

"I'm afraid our little game ends now," he sneered, changing his tone of voice to one that an adult might use to talk to a naughty child.

Frederick noticed Elise struggling, and hold up her hand, something blue clasped tight.

"Sonic! Take this!" she cried, throwing it. All Frederick saw was a blue flash before the gem was safely clasped in Sonic's hand. The gem emitted a low hum, and Frederick could almost feel an aura of power emanating from it. According to Amy and Eggman, it was a "Chaos Emerald."

"I've got it!" Sonic yelled back. "And don't worry, I'll rescue you!"

Frederick didn't doubt Sonic's word for a second, and apparently, neither did Elise.

"I know," she responded. Eggman's face contorted into one of fury.

"Hmph, it's only a matter of time before it's mine!" He shouted. "Until then, you can hold on to it for me!"

With that, Eggman steered his vehicle back into the Egg Carrier, which took off into the distance. Frederick and Sonic stared after it, standing side by side. After it faded, Frederick faced the blue hedgehog that he had assisted.

"Hey. I'm Frederick," he announced, outstretching his hand. Sonic took it, briefly.

"Sonic. Thanks for the help! Catch ya later!" Sonic replied before dashing off into the distance faster than Frederick could ever match.

"Hey wait!" he cried, but knew that Sonic was long gone. "Just like Amy…"

"What about me?" came a familiar voice from behind him. Of course she'd show up now….

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After climbing down the ladder, Amy and Silver had come upon Frederick staring off into the distance muttering about Amy.

"What about me?" Amy queried, standing behind Frederick. The human turned to see the two. His eyes passed over Amy to land on Silver.

"Oh, him? This is Silver, another hedgehog!" Amy announced, stepping to the side. Silver's dark green eyes met with Frederick's emerald eyes, and the two shook hands.

"Is Amy always this much of a handful?" Silver whispered, keeping his voice low so he didn't alert Amy.

"Yep," Frederick answered, and the two burst out laughing.

"Hey! We need to find Sonic, and then we have to find who Silver is looking for!" Amy interrupted, placing her hands on her hips. She looked so cute standing like that, Frederick smiled warmly.

"Of course. You're in command, Amy," Frederick replied smoothly. Silver sighed, standing next to Frederick.

"Well…um…I…um…I don't know what to do!" Amy cried after thinking for a little while. Silver and Frederick laughed again.

"Maybe we could try talking to some people in the town?" Silver suggested.

"Good idea. Let's split up to cover more ground. I'll go alone. Silver, go with Amy," Frederick ordered. Silver stared at Frederick as if to say, "Why me?" Frederick merely grinned mischievously

"Alright then, let's go!" Amy declared, beginning the search. "If you find Sonic, stick with him!"

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In the morning, Frederick went to the Soleanna's biggest plaza to find information. Tables and chairs were set up all around the large area, filled with people discussing last night's events. Upon querying the residents, Frederick learned that Sonic had not been seen, but that a strange brown fox with two tails had also been asking for him.

"A fox with two tails?!" Frederick exclaimed, not believing his ears. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's probably from the race of foxes near the plains. He's been going around, asking for Sonic too. He's near the shop," the man explained, pointing in its general direction.

Frederick thanked the man and walked in the indicated direction. Two tails. What next? A super strong echidna that can break through walls?

Soon enough, he ended up near the shop, where there was a large, ornate fountain spewing water. Surrounding it were people doing their daily shopping, and exchanging gossip. But Frederick only had eyes for the fox.

It was exactly as described, although it was somewhat smaller than Frederick had expected. Upon approaching it, the fox looked up at him expectantly.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Sonic?" the fox inquired in a voice reminiscent of a small boy not yet a teenager.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Frederick replied. The fox looked surprised.

"Do you know him?" it asked.

"Not really. I fought beside him once, and I'm friends with one of his close friends," Frederick explained.

"Really? Which one was it?" the fox asked, its eyes lighting up.

"Amy Rose. You know the…" Frederick started.

"Amy?!" it interrupted, then it began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Frederick asked, somewhat confused.

"Not many can get along with Amy but her close friends. I'm Tails, the fox!" it answered, offering a hand. Frederick took it, politely shaking it.

"I'm Frederick, and I get along with her just fine," he replied, smiling. The two swiftly became friends as they related their experiences of the past day. Tails laughed hardest when Frederick told him about the scene at the gate.

"What possessed you to do such a thing? She would kill us!" Tails had asked.

"I guess I just have a way with women!" Frederick joked, nudging Tails lightly.

"Yeah, right!" Tails retorted, punching him playfully. It was during this exchange that they heard a small commotion coming from the direction of the shop. Sonic was striding down the street, and people were turning to look at the living legend.

"Sonic!" Tails and Frederick cried, one after the other. Sonic turned in their direction with a grin.

"Tails! Long time no see!" he greeted, giving Tails a high five. "and you are that guy who helped me out last night… Frederick was it?"

"Glad you remember me!" Frederick replied, happy he achieved his objective. "I was looking for you."

"Why?" Sonic asked, scratching behind one of his spikes.

"He's with Amy. She probably sent him!" Tails answered before Frederick could open his mouth. Sonic adopted a look of mock horror.

"Not again! Can't she give me a bit of peace?" he complained, halfway joking. Then they all got serious.

"I heard that you tried to save their princess from Dr. Eggman!" Tails stated. "You're going to rescue her, aren't you? Let me help!"

"Don't leave me out!" Frederick added. Now that he found Sonic, Amy's orders were to "stick with him," and that's exactly what he was planning to do. Sonic thought about this for a moment before replying.

"We may not know what Eggman's planning, but it can't be a good thing. With your help, this should be a piece of cake!"

The group laughed good-naturedly and strode off, intending to find out where Eggman had gone. In Frederick's case, he was staying with Sonic and keeping a lookout for Amy at the same time.

Leading the investigation, Sonic began to ask around the city. Upon observing Sonic, Frederick began to admire the blue hedgehog. He was confident and knew how to get things done. At the same time, he knew how to take a joke. The three would repeatedly joke about the situation they were in, saying that the whole princess rescue thing was so stereotypical. Sonic even went so far as to say, "I knew the princess would get kidnapped, ever since I heard about her."

Eventually, the group discovered that Eggman had headed towards Wave Ocean, much to Frederick's surprise.

"Wave Ocean? That's where I was born!" he exclaimed. Sonic and Tails had turned to him, looking at him expectantly.

"Good! Then you can lead us through quickly!" Sonic replied.

"But there's no way we can get to Wave Ocean quickly enough to catch Eggman," Frederick muttered, disheartened.

"Hey, don't be like that! Haven't you heard of the Mirrors of Soleanna?" Tails chastised. Frederick shook his head, confused.

"I've heard of those. Aren't those the teleportation things?" Sonic inquired.

"Yeah. The Duke of Soleanna made them so that citizens could get to the other regions in no time! But after the Duke died, the technology was lost, so the mirrors are only found in Soleanna." Tails narrated. "There should be a mirror to Wave Ocean around here."

In no time, Sonic spotted a blue glow coming from a cave across the bay nearby.

"That just might be one!" Tails exclaimed. To Frederick's surprise, Tails used his two tails to fly across the bay to the cave. "It is! Come on guys!"

Sonic reached the cave by jumping on a docked yacht and propelling to the cave. Frederick was left behind, wondering what the heck he was going to do. Then Frederick noticed that there was a river starting at the bay and passing through the city. Occasionally a small two-seater boat would sail by on it. This gave him an idea.

Frederick leaped over the fence designed to prevent residents from falling into the river. He skillfully timed his jump so that he landed on one of these boats. Taking the oar from the surprised boatman, he rowed himself over to the cave.

"Thanks, man," Frederick said to the boatman, who merely stared at him. "Apparently the people here can't appreciate skill when they see it!"

"Skill? Where?" Sonic joked.

"Ha. Very funny," Frederick returned, laughing.

The group then turned its attention to the mirror. The mirror itself was circular, with an image of Wave Ocean so real that Frederick felt that he could just walk in imprinted on it. It sat on a pedestal of white marble engraved with the Soleanna Eagle.

"Wave Ocean…my home…" Frederick muttered. "If only Amy were here."

"What's that? Why do you want Amy to be here?" Sonic commented, a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

"Uh...well…I…I said I'd…take her here…" Frederick confessed, turning a light pink. Sonic threw back his head and laughed. Frederick blushed darker. They weren't supposed to hear that…

"Anyway, we have to chase Eggman!" Tails interrupted, before jumping into the mirror. Sonic followed, his expression turning serious again. Frederick looked at the mirror, nostalgia evident on his face. He was going to visit the land of his birth once again. With this in mind, he jumped into the mirror.

It was like walking through a door. One second he was in Soleanna, the next he was in Wave Ocean. The warm, salty air that he knew so well assaulted his senses. He inhaled the sweet scent and then exhaled, feeling at peace for the first time since the Festival of the Sun.

"Look! It's the Egg Carrier!" Tails shrieked, pointing at the fleeing airship.

"We have to hurry!" Sonic cried. Frederick agreed, looking ahead. They were at the top of a large cliff that plummeted down a great distance. He peered over the edge and quailed. If he tried to run down that, he would trip and fall to his death. Frederick backed up a few feet.

"What, you aren't scared are you, _Freddy?!_" Sonic teased, deliberately using the pet name Frederick hated.

"No, I'm not scared, and ONLY AMY CAN CALL ME FREDDY!" he screamed angrily, dashing off the side of the cliff. At this last statement, Sonic and Tails looked at each other for a second. Then they shrugged and dashed down the cliff after Frederick.

They reached the bottom of the cliff to find Frederick stopped at the edge of a stretch of water. Across the large gap was a small island.

"Why did you stop?" Sonic asked.

"I can't swim for long distances," Frederick explained. Sonic motioned for Tails to move ahead. To Frederick's great surprise, Tail's…tails began to spin, lifting the small fox into the air. He then flew across the water, heading for the small island.

"How does that work?" Frederick asked, pointing to Tails. Sonic shrugged.

"I don't know either. Now hang on!" Sonic yelled, picking up the bewildered human. He dashed backup the cliff, and then plummeted back down, picking up speed. He dashed across the water to the island using the speed to find traction in the waves. Frederick was startled and held on to the blue hedgehog with all of his might.

At the island, Sonic spotted three mechs guarding a natural stone arch leading to another stretch of smooth water. He dodged behind a small rock. Then he glanced at Frederick.

"Uh…you can let go now…" Sonic commented. Frederick opened his eyes, which had been screwed shut, and let go of Sonic with a yelp.

"Quiet, there are mechs nearby," Sonic ordered. Frederick nodded, drawing his short sword from its place on his back.

"We should split up and each of us can take on one of them!" Tails suggested.

"Good idea! Let's go!" Sonic agreed. When he gave the signal, the group attacked all at once, taking the mechs by surprise.

Dodging around the machine guns, Sonic knocked down his mech with a swift kick and finished it off with a powerful headbutt. Then, he headed forward to make sure that no mechs could ambush his friends.

Tails flew far above his mech, beads of sweat appearing on his fur as he dodged the missiles coming his way. Then he pulled a small, but powerful bomb from his belt and armed it.

"Hey! " Tails cried, catching his mech's attention. Then he tossed the bomb at it. It hit the mech right in the chest and exploded, sending bits of scrap metal in all directions. Tails pumped his fist in the air in victory.

Frederick's mech was outfitted with a missile launcher capable of firing projectiles larger than his arm. As it spotted the charging human, it unleashed one of its powerful missiles. Tails and Sonic stared in horror as Frederick recklessly charged forward, seeming to have no regard for his own life.  
Then, to everyone's surprise, Frederick twirled his short sword and sliced the missile in half lengthwise! The gunpowder sprinkled out of the broken projectile, allowing the two halves to clatter harmlessly on the sand.

The mech could not comprehend why its target was still alive, and it was still standing there when Frederick impaled it through the middle.

Sheathing his sword, Frederick turned to his friends with a grin.

"What did you think?" he asked, obviously referring to his daring move.

"That was pretty awesome!" Tails commented, with Sonic nodding. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I was trained for battle all my life. My village here was obsessed with defense, assuming that they could be attacked at any time," Frederick admitted. Sonic nodded and pointed ahead.

"We still have to hurry! Eggman is getting away!" he cried, taking off. As usual, Tails and Frederick fell behind, screaming pathetically for him to wait up. Surprisingly, he did.

"There's another stretch of water up ahead. Frederick?" Sonic informed him, holding out his arms. Frederick groaned slightly. He was not keen on being carried across the water again at such a high speed. Since he didn't move, Sonic shrugged and picked him up anyway.

"Sonic, wait!" Frederick cried, but to no avail. Tails took off across the water to the next island, and Sonic dashed on top of the water again.

"What's on the next island?" Sonic asked. Frederick thought for a moment before replying.

"There is a mountain, and scattered around it are the remains of an old construction project that failed. Be careful," Frederick warned. Sonic merely grinned.

"Good! I like it dangerous," he remarked.

As Frederick has said, piles of scrap metal and wood lay scattered along the shore. Some parts of structures were still standing, such as the metal bars that were part of the foundations.

"Sonic! I'll meet you on the ledge above!" Tails called, flying forwards. Sonic gave him a thumbs up and jumped. He skillfully grabbed a roughly horizontal bar and used it to propel the two to a high ledge. Without giving Frederick a chance to get down, Sonic jumped again, grabbing a vertical pole this time and jumping off of it.

They landed on a plateau with a boardwalk leading away from it, passing a lighthouse.

"Hey, that's the Wave Ocean Lighthouse! I remember that maintaining it was one of my chores," Frederick related, reminiscing about the times that he would stand on the top of the lighthouse and stare at the stars.

"Reminisce later, pal. Now we have to run!" Sonic admonished.

"There's a lot of Eggman's mechs," Tails observed gravely. He unclipped two bombs from his belt.

"Sonic! You move forward! We'll clear the mechs form the village!" Frederick ordered, inwardly fuming at the mech's presence in his village, for in front of him, several wooden houses with thatched roofs could be seen. Sonic gave him a thumbs up and sped away, distracting the many mechs on the boardwalk.

Yelling a battle cry, Frederick charged straight for the center of the mechs, drawing his sword. By the time the mechs noticed his charge, it was too late for them to fire their guns.

Frederick sliced in half the first mech he saw, and stabbed through another. He swiftly blocked a blow from a mech's arm, and then chopped it off. Then Frederick finished it with a swift cut.

Tails flew above the melee, unwilling to drop his bombs in fear of hitting Frederick. Frederick continued to fight, seeming to never tire.

Frederick felt his blood grow hot and his vision grow red. All that was in his mind was death, and that was what he dealt with his unmatched skill with a blade. A cut to the right, a swipe to the left, and a vertical strike later, the remaining mechs lay battered and broken across the boardwalk. Tails landed next to him, worry evident on his young face.

"Are you okay?" he inquired, peering at Frederick's eyes. For a small instant, Tails could have sworn that Frederick's eyes were red!

"Yeah. At least they are out of the village," Frederick replied after a pause to let himself cool down. "We have to catch up with Sonic!"

Tails nodded and lifted Fredrick.

"What are you doing!" Frederick yelled in alarm.

"Flying is faster than running!" Tails replied. Frederick had no idea how the little fox could lift one as heavy as him. Maybe it was one of the many useful gadgets Tails always had on him.

Taking off, Tails flew across the ocean, his eyes straining for a glimpse of blue. It was only a second before he noticed Sonic hanging on for dear life to a large killer whale.

"What sane person would take on the Wave Guardian?!" Frederick exclaimed incredulously. Tails ignored him, flying down towards Sonic.

"Tails! Go ahead and push the gate switch up ahead so he doesn't get out!" Sonic cried, referring to the whale. Tails looked up ahead. Sure enough, there was a large gate that prevented any large wildlife from leaving the preserve. It was open, much to his horror.

"We have to hurry!" Frederick called. Tails nodded and flew as fast as his little body would let him. The mechs that they saw on the way were of a different variety than the ones that they had fought before. These flew, and were equipped with a single rocket launcher and a Vulcan machine gun. But even they stood no chance. Any that were above of or level with Tails were destroyed with a thrown bomb, and the ones below were sliced into pieces by Frederick.

The two flew from island to island, plateau to plateau, defeating enemies on the way. When another lighthouse came into view, Frederick cried out.

"The gate switch is in there!" he informed Tails. The fox changed course instantly and flew to the top of the lighthouse, where a large lever was in plain sight. Frederick, still dangling from Tail's grip, reached down and pulled the lever. The two cheered as they saw the gate close.

Frederick's eyes widened as he spotted Sonic use the killer whale's thrashing to catapult himself over the gate and onto the island beyond.

"Where's he going?!" Frederick demanded.

"He's probably going to accelerate to the speed of sound in order to catch Eggman. There's no way we can keep up, so he's going alone!" Tails explained.

"Then what do _we _do?" Frederick asked. He was sick and tired of being left behind while Sonic got to do all the action. He felt helpless to control the events around him, and he _hated _not being in control.

"We fly after him. Hopefully we'll get to him after he finds Eggman!" Tails proposed. Frederick grimaced. _Oh boy, here we go again…_

"I can't stand heights!"

AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY

The two found Sonic standing on a beach enclosed by mountains, staring at them intently. In his hand was a small feather.

"It got away," Sonic growled as they landed next to him.

"It looks like the princess was moved to another location! Let's head back to the city!" Tails suggested. Frederick sighed. At least he was able to spend some time in the land of his birth.

"Good idea," Sonic replied.

ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE

Deep in the ocean, deeper than any had ever ventured, it was pitch black. Strange fish and glowing jellyfish swam aimlessly through the darkness, endlessly hunting for food.

An angler fish caught sight of a foolish, slightly luminescent fish loitering about near the ocean floor. However, before it could attack, it was scared away. The many schools of fish and crowds of jellyfish scattered faster than one could blink. Two glowing scarlet points of light winked into existence. Long had it laid dormant, waiting for the moment of its return. Now, its time had almost come. Stirring in the darkness far away from prying eyes, it waited.

AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY AMY

Never mind, I lied. I am done by Friday. However, it is still one of my longest chapters. That last bit was somewhat creepy, huh?

I wish I had received more than three reviews. I was stating a minimum, not a maximum, people. 12 pages. I even astonished myself with this one. Yeah, there wasn't much Amy in this chapter. *cries* But the whole Wave Ocean bit had to be done, because Silver never goes to the place.

I'm really going to have fun with Crisis City. I can't wait. I also can't wait for Amy to hit something with the beastly Piko Piko Hammer! Anyway, I will start writing...er…typing the next chapter immediately, but I can't give you a deadline next.

Ciao,

Kerrigor.


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